Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp

Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp is located in one of the most remarkable sites in the Namib Desert. The camp is situated on a 51 900 acres private reserve, 12 miles from Sesriem, the Park's entrance to the Sossusvlei dunes.

Huge towering dunes rise dramatically, more than 1000 feet above the surrounding plains at Sossusvlei itself. The camp's location provides easy access to Sossusvlei, yet also offers privacy and exclusivity. The camp has been built near the top of a mountain, using rock, brick, timber and thatch and provides a comfortable refuge from the desert.

Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp has nine suites, each with its own private plunge pool. The bedrooms are well appointed with en suite baths and offer comfort and atmosphere with wonderful views onto the desert plains below. The main living area is under thatch with an outdoor deck for dinner under the stars.

Sossusvlei's Activities centre round early morning excursions in 4x4 vehicles to the magnificent Sossusvlei dunes and the "vlei" itself. Wonderful desert breakfasts are served under camel-thorn acacias surrounded by the dunes.

Afternoon nature drives or walking activities are enjoyed on the property where guests can spend time taking in the desert scenery and its unique fauna and flora. Incredible ballooning safaris over the Namib are optional and at additional cost..

Sossusvlei Ranger's Diary - August

"Once upon a time in a far-off land where things happened depending on how much sand you have at your lodge and in the rooms, there lived a group of very eager people. People eager to please their guests and to make their stay as memorable as possible. This place was called Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp. And here follows an intriguing story of what happened during the month of August....

Without any sand and dust storms howling around the camp, can we truly say we live in the desert? The wind still picks up during the day, leaving some evenings with no breezes and very clear skies. We can also feel that spring is in the air – while the trees aren’t blooming, it is definitely becoming warmer. Early mornings are still a bit chilly but not that much. Hats and sunscreen with plenty of water is becoming the rule of the day.

Sossusvlei trips are still the highlight of camp activities. We also had a few evenings of gluwein (this is the colder evenings) around the fire with story-telling. The guests loved it and so did we. Very entertaining and gripping stuff. We would just like to get the guests more involved with the dancing. Great fun! Stargazing is also one of our evening events. With these bright a clear skies it is also one of the bigger successes.

We also got a new system in place for saving water. Each room is supplied with a silver bucket that guests use. While running the water waiting for it to warm up they catch the water in these buckets and the housekeepers use it the next morning to clean the rooms.

Do fresh fruit and vegetables sound good? Especially in the desert? Oh yes! We have started our own vegetable garden, and things are going well, the birds and the porcupine being our worst nightmare but who can blame them? We can already see the radishes sticking their heads out. Next we will make some money selling it to the other camps.

The young oryx and springbok are still around, as well as our friend the porcupine (who loves our garden). We also have a few naughty jackals going around camp, running havoc.

If siestas, magical evenings around the campfire with the most amazing sunsets and sundowner drinks sound inviting, you know where to find us."

Sossusvlei Ranger's Diary - July 2005

"When you look down from Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp, the plains seem to be empty, but once you absorb the view and start exploring, plenty comes alive. We still have regular sightings of "fighting" aardwolf, protecting their territory. With the winds we have beautiful displays of Pygmy Falcons and Pale Chanting Goshawk over the main lapa area with their distinct calls, wishing we were up there to enjoy their "kiting" soaring above the east wind. The Pied Crows with their clumsy bodies are also on display.

We have had guests that have been intrigued by the small things the Namibian desert offers. As a consequence Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp has been offering walking excursions, a way to stretch the legs after long international flights, between morning and afternoon game drive excursions, and a way to appreciate the smaller, sometimes hidden aspects of the desert.

The green grass and succulent bushes favoured by the springbok and gemsbok are becoming scarce but the smell of the Smelly Shepherd’s Bush (Boscia foetida) reminds us of the not-too-distant approach of spring. We now have a regular afternoon visit of about fifteen gemsbok to our small waterhole right in front of the lapa. This is always an exciting moment when you see them appearing from the river's side and hurrying along to the water.

With Scorpio and Sagittarius and planets Jupiter (with its four moons) and Venus now bright in our dark sky, Franco, our expert on the stargazing deck, has been providing good information on the stars. Even on full moon nights, the telescope has brought "man on the moon" sayings out with seeing the clear craters.

With guests staying three nights and even as long as five days, our Sossusvlei excursion has been popular and has often been followed by our Namib Naukluft mountain excursion. Our camp staff always welcomes our guests back in the evening with drums, every night's practice turning into better and better drumming. We had some of our guests joining the drumming and joining the staff dancing, with the rest of the audience enjoying it thoroughly. Two young men from Switzerland and France really fired up the drumming with their expertise. One American woman showed the younger "audiences" that you are never too old to dance, to have the "kaboom" with the rhythms of our new Kavango scullery providing the base and our local artist Petrus adding the real Nama-Damara 'swing'."